The present invention relates to dispensing medication to patients in hospitals and nursing homes.
In the health care industry, an important component of patient care is medication. Medications, in the form of pills, capsules and liquids, are given to patients to relieve pain, to prevent or eliminate infections, and to treat illnesses and disease. Oftentimes the medications are given in doses that ate repeated at intervals during the day and may be part of a regimen that takes place over several days or even an extended period of time for chronic illness. Medications may have a powerful effect on the body. Some medications should not be taken with other medications or are carefully controlled because of their impact on the patient if too much is administered or because they are subject to abuse by others.
In addition, if the wrong medication is given to a patient, or if the correct medication is given but in too large a dose or too frequently, harm may result. Accordingly, it is important to doctors, nurses and the staff and management of hospitals and nursing homes to make sure their patients take all prescribed medications and only the prescribed medication and to take them in accordance with their prescriptions. Usually, administrative controls and paper records, sometimes augmented by security measures, are used to achieve these objectives.
However, there remains a need for better ways to dispense medications in a controlled manner.